Almost
by wisegirlweasley
Summary: Indeed, love was there, but if you looked too hard, you'd miss it.  It was there, dancing in front of your face, but when you reached out to grab it, it was gone...
1. Dark Red Wine

Baby Harry sat in his mother's lap, watching his father and godfather chat. As a celebration of Harry's birth, Lily and James had invited all of the Marauders over. Only Sirius could make it. Remus and Peter were _both_ gone, but no one knew why.

James reached for the fire whiskey, but Lily caught his hand.

"Not in front of Harry," She said sternly.

"But he won't even remember!" James protested.

He was effectively silenced by her glare.

Sirius snickered. "Just like the old days, eh? 'Not in front of Prongsy Jr.'" He added, mimicking Lily's voice.

Sirius was similarly withered by Lily's glare. He raised his hands in mock surrender, but kept quiet all the same. James smirked at him, but was sharply kicked under the table by his *cough* darling *cough* wife. His eyes watering in pain, he made his way to the kitchen, muttering about 'mental women'.

James carried the food in, and put the plates on the table. Lily passed a plate to Sirius and took one for herself, while James grabbed one. He also took the smallest plate (with baby food), and set it next to him so that he could feed Harry.

They had a pleasant evening, the four of them. Cheerful conversation was made, and it was easy to forget about the dark war around them. It was even possible to forget the corrupt world that they lived in.

Time flew by, the years melted away, and it was like they were back in school. They were just three friends again, sitting in the Common Room at Hogwarts. Jokes were exchanged, gossip was traded, and the conversation was young again. They were back in their glory days, having the time of their life, just sitting there, talking.

Harry snored softly, though, shattering that illusion. There was a melancholy feel to the air, as if something important had slipped through their fingers, and they hadn't realized it yet.

Lily was the first to move. She stood up, and lifted Harry out of his seat, carrying him upstairs. James and Sirius exchanged sad smiles, knowing that their Hogwarts days were, in fact, over.

Harry's door shut, and they heard the water running for a bath. James and Sirius jumped up at the same time. James grabbed two wine glasses, while Sirius produced some Dark Red wine from the pantry. Sirius poured it into the glasses, and they both raised their cups.

"Cheers!" They said together, and each took a sip.

There was a pleasant silence as they drank, enjoying the good wine. A few short minutes later, they heard Harry's door shut, and they sprang into action once more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A Few Hours Later ~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, did you and Sirius have a good time?" Lily asked.

"We sure did!" James replied, smiling a little too widely.

"James… what's this?"

In her hands she was holding the wine. That might be difficult to explain…


	2. Underneath the Innocent Sky

**This is the second of my Drabble collection for the Hogwarts Online Prompt of the Day. These drabbles are completely unrelated, although all are about the Marauder Era. Please enjoy.**

Although we Marauders never admitted it, we weren't very brave. Well, we were, when it came to things that actually mattered. If someone was in trouble, none of us would ever hesitate to help them. Pranks, however, were a different story. Every prank and practical joke, taunt and tease, were perfectly planned out. Almost all involved a distraction, the invisibility cloak, and a couple of 'tricks' that we kept up our sleeves. Even though we had the most detentions in the school's history, we would still be sitting in detention to this day if we had been caught for half of the pranks we pulled. Of course, we had 'bad-boy' stereotypes to take care of, but we really were quite cautious. Only when it came to pranks, of course.

"Prongs, pass me the cloak!" Sirius whispered urgently.

A few seconds later, a silvery object was tossed across the corridor. A small rat scurried after it, followed by an 'oomph' and a thud. Four feet scurried down the floor of the nearby dungeon, before quickly becoming invisible. The rat scurried back across the hall. James and Peter, knowing that their work was done, quickly made their way to the grounds. After around ten minutes, they heard great peals of laughter. Two figures made their way towards them, laughing all the way. Remus and Sirius sat next to them, recounting the adventures of the night. They sat under the large oak near the Black Lake, as they always did, relishing in each other's company. The adventure was told at least five times in that few minutes, each time becoming more and more exaggerated. By the end of that night, Peter and James swore up and down that they too had gone into the Slytherin Common room. They swore that they had even died those Slytherin's hair hot pink. By the end of the week, however, that story had even been blown up. Now, it seemed as if the whole Common Room was hot pink, the lake water had turned a nasty shade of magenta, and the Slytherins had hexed them up and down the corridor.

None of that was true, however.

Sirius and Remus had simply cast a simple color changing spell on the walls of the Slytherin's Common room, turning them a wonderful shade of hot pink. Then, they'd high-tailed it out of there. Like I said, the courage everyone hears about was reserved for battling the Dark Side, and for that alone.

But all of that didn't matter. At this very moment, they were just four friends enjoying each other's company. They were enjoying everything that it means to be best friends. They were taking full advantage of the seemingly endless time that they possessed. They were four friends, just sitting there, underneath that innocent sky.

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**Thanks,**

**Wise girl**


	3. Pride

**This one is about Severus Snape seeing Lily and James together.**

He hated seeing her with him. From the bottom of his toes to the top of his greasy head, he loathed it. Severus Snape couldn't stand the way Lily had fallen head over heels in love with _Potter._ Handsome, talented, courageous, _Potter._

It's not like he hadn't tried to stop her. She just hadn't listened. Over and over, Severus had asked, pleaded, and begged for her to stay away from him. He'd told her of the bad things that Potter had done. Some weren't exactly true, but Severus had needed to prove a point. In hindsight, that probably wasn't a good idea. She'd found that his declarations were false, and that had hindered their friendship further. But it had been worth a shot.

Today, he saw them laughing together, finishing each others sentences, and carrying on like an old married couple. Seeing a small, square-shaped object in James' pocket, Severus knew that today was the day. It was the last day that he'd have to get her to see the truth. Today, it would all be over, at least in Severus' eyes.

"Lily. Please stay away from him," He pleaded desperately.

All of the brightness and warmth that had once shone in her eyes quickly vanished.

"No," She said softly.

Somehow, that hurt more than the insults, arguments, and the cold shoulder. It stung him to see the desperation in her eyes for him to understand.

Severus turned to go, but she called to him, "Stay out of trouble, kay?"

His heart leaped at the touch of concern in her voice… it was like the old days. Except that it wasn't.

She smiled, just a little. He, too, smiled and left.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Later that night, he saw Lily and Potter walking hand in hand by the lake. He almost ran down to break up the date, but something wouldn't let him. His pride.

The next day, he saw he crowded by her friends, admiring the ring her left hand. Darn pride.

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	4. A Time to Remember

Today, I was finally going to ask Miss. Evans out. Well, I'd done _that _millions of times (578, to be exact), but today, she'd say yes. I was sure of it. After all, I'd deflated my head, stopped hexing ol' Snivillus, and even decreased the amount of times I asked her out each day. Trust me… that was no small sacrifice on my part.

I sauntered up to her with the air of confidence that I naturally possessed, and stunned her with my gorgeous eyes. Well, I guess she was stunned… she didn't say anything. Anyway, I ruffled my hair to give it the poof that the ladies loved, and casually stood by her desk.

She rolled her eyes and looked back at her work. (She was probably stunned speechless by my handsomeness). I grabbed her small hand in mine, and was about to recite the Shakespeare that I had memorized, when a thought flashed through my mind.

"_Hey, Evans… do you wanna go out to Hogsmeade with me?"_

_My response was a slap across the face._

Mentally, I shrugged, wondering why _that_ of all things had popped into my mind. I suppose that there's a time to remember everything, though.

I drew myself up to my fullest height, and began the wonderful poetry of Shakespeare.

"How great art thou love for me?" I asked her.

A small groan of annoyance escaped her lips, and I quickly shook off the poetry. I returned to my awesome self, and started again.

"Want to go out with me?" I asked.

My response was a slap across the face.

Perhaps memories have a way of showing themselves at just the right time. Maybe the come, trying to warn you, trying to tell you something.

Probably not, though.

**Please review. I know these drabbles are short, but that's what they are- drabbles. So PLEASE tell me what you think… the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thanks!**

**Always,**

**Wise girl**


	5. Stay with Me

"Hey, hey!" Sirius Black said, winking at Marlene.

"Go away," She said.

"Why, love? Is someone grumpy?" He asked teasingly.

"Just go away. I don't want anything to do with you."

"You cut me deep!" Sirius cried, dramatically clutching his chest.

She snorted, and walked faster, trying to escape. Of course, even her fast pace was no match for Sirius' long strides.

"So, why are you avoiding me?" Sirius asked conversationally, slinging an arm over her shoulder.

She shrugged it off, and said, "Just because."

"Oh. I see," Sirius said, not really seeing at all. "Marlene… will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"No!" She said angrily.

"And why not?"

"Look!" She said, turning so that she was in front of him. "I don't want to go out with someone who will just leave! People have left me all of my life- my father, brother, and friends. Why would I put myself in the position to be left again? Why? I want a stable, forever relationship. The one that we always hear about, but that never really happens. I want someone to stay with me."

She burst into tears, right in the middle of the corridor.

Sirius looked a little bit bewildered, but quickly gathered the girl in his arms. He easily carried her to the common room, and set her gently on the couch. He enveloped her in a hug, and knelt down in front of her.

"Marlene. I will never leave you. I promise. I will protect you with my life, from everything that I can," He said, all of the silliness gone from his eyes. "Just tell me, love, when you're ready, and I'll come. I'll be waiting for you."

A few years later, Sirius and Marlene found each other, and lived happily ever after.

That is, until a Death Eater stormed her village, leaving none alive. Sirius, having been away on a seperate auror mission, came home to the sight of medi-witches and wizards surrounding her house, confirming his worst fears.

He felt for the small box in his pocket, knowing that he would never get say the words that he'd practiced so many times. There'd be no happily-ever-after, not boat ride into the sunset, no prince and his princess.

There'd be no 'together' or 'us'. His other half was gone.

**Once again, I give you the resounding plea to review. :) Please?**


	6. Endless Memories

Sirius Black sat against the wall of his shared dormitory room, and threw his snitch around. His nimble fingers never failed to encase the Golden Snitch, before throwing it again. Sirius was thinking about James- his best friend- and his many attempts to 'wow' Miss. Evans. None had worked. Each time that James had asked her out, he'd gotten a different response, but they all had the same meaning- no. Occasionally, it was sarcastic or witty, but she never ceased to turn him down.

"_No"_

"_Nyet"_

"_Ummmm… no"_

"_Let me think about that for a second… no!"_

"_Sorry, it's quidditch season… you know how that is." "Yeah. Wait! You don't play quidditch!"_

"_I'd rather go out with the giant squid!"_

"_Are you seriously asking me AGAIN?"_

_*Slap*_

"_I think you know the answer to that"_

"_In your dreams, Potter"_

"_Let's think… should I go out with you? NO!"_

"_Sorry, I have a potions essay." "We don't even HAVE one!" "Oh."_

"_GO AWAY!"_

Sirius yawned, and stood up, grabbing his snitch one last time. He never could have remembered all of Miss. Evan's replies. Those memories were endless…

**Thanks for reading! Don't subscribe or favorite without reviewing! I would like to give a special thanks to I C a Big World for reviewing every chapter. Thanks SO much!**


	7. Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, there was a red-haired princess. She was the most beautiful in all of the land, although she didn't know it. That was what made her so gorgeous. Her dark auburn curls framed her beautiful face, and her bright emerald eyes always sparkled. Lily Marie Evans was this princess, but she was missing a few things.

First of all, she was missing her castle. Her small but cozy home wasn't much of a palace, but for the time being, it was enough. The small garden, filled with daisies and rhododendrons, bloomed prettily. The white picket fence, gingham curtains, and golden- yellow kitchen helped create the classic small-town home that it was. Every snowball fight, sleepover, lazy day- anything and everything- was captured in the pictures that filled the house. And all of that, in its own way, was perfect.

Then Hogwarts came around.

The stone corridors had a well-worn, home-like feel, and the red curtains in Lily's window soon replaced the gingham ones. Although she sometimes felt homesick, Hogwarts _was_ her second home. Beautiful tapestries and portraits filled the walls, and reminded her of her far off home and the family that she loved so dearly. Soon, however, Lily learned that this castle- her castle- supplied only bigger feasts, larger parties, and a bigger family. Her childhood home was never forgotten, but the princess finally had a castle.

The second thing that Lily was missing was the perfect dress. Of course, she had many dresses- all were pretty- but none were fit for a ball. The closets in her dormitory were filled with school robes, her muggle attire, and the occasional party dress. The floor held trainers, sandals, and the occasional high-heel or two. Nothing, of course, suitable for a princess.

That's when the Founder's Ball came.

In her seventh year, Miss. Evans found herself becoming the Head Girl, and planning a ball. As it was the 4750th anniversary of the school, it was tradition to have such a dance, and it required special attire. Unknown to Lily, her best friend Alice had picked out a dress for her, and presented it to her on the night of the ball.

This dress was emerald green- exactly the same shade as her eyes, and came to the floor. It was –of course- full skirted, but was fitted from the waist up. Small beads accented the lovely material, and if the light was right, it looked as if Lily was glowing. Her hair cascaded down her back in beautiful curls, and her makeup was light and natural looking. Lily looked stunning.

As our princess descended the staircase, you could catch a glimpse of her silver shoes, poking out from underneath her skirts. Our princess now had a dress- a beautiful ball gown.

The final problem that our princess had was a prince, or lack there of. As a little girl, Lily had been very shy and withdrawn. As she had gotten older, the shyness began to wear away, little by little, and people started to notice. Before long, suitors were dueling each other for the right to ask her to dance, to go to town with her- anything. But she didn't know that. Again, that's what made her so lovable. Still, she didn't have a prince.

That's when James Potter came.

Actually, he'd been there all along. Our princess, despite her accepting and loving nature, hated James Potter with a burning passion. He'd pined after her for years, asked her out too many times to count, and professed his love numerous times. That hadn't helped his position in the least. Still, he persisted. Many years passed, and Lily came to her senses, loving James to pieces. Our hopeful suitor had become a prince, and our princess now had a prince.

But of course you knew that all of that would happen. Lily always _was_ a princess, living out a fairytale.

**I rather like this one. If you would leave a review and tell me what you think, I would be forever in your debt!**

**Please don't favorite or subscribe without reviewing!**

**Always,**

**Wise girl**


	8. Explain

**Sorry this is so late… it took me a little while to come up with the idea. **

Marauder: _noun _pillager; raider.

Yes. We were, famously or infamously, known as the Marauders. We were the school-wide pranksters, number one detention-getters, the quidditch champs. We wooed the girls, achieved full marks, were animaguses, and snuck out of school on a monthly basis. Of course, we were also the cocky and arrogant teenage boys that everyone stereotyped, but we grew out of that. Mostly.

Never-the-less, we always stuck by each other. From Remus' furry-little-problem, to James' dating attempts, we were always by each others' sides. It was just what we did. No one had ever said it out loud, or consciously done it; it'd just happened. And that was fine.

That's what brothers did.

Because the Marauders were a brotherhood, the four of us. We were brothers in all ways except blood. It was as if there were four bodies to one soul, we understood each other that well.

But how could we ever have explained it to an outsider? We couldn't. It was too special-magical, even- to put into words.

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**Always,**

**Wise girl**


	9. Please?

**I'm sorry I haven't written in so long. Things came up, time was lost, yada yada yada. Anyway, here it is! I'm not as happy with it as I could have been, but I wanted to give you **_**something**_**. :)**

"Please?"

The kicker was his eyes. They were so imploring, so deep, that it struck her. Maybe there was some change going on here. Maybe it _was_ real, not some far-off dream that she'd had. Maybe, just maybe, this would be a good thing.

"I'll consider," She said with a small smile, leaving the boy in a state that can be compared to absolute, love-sick hysteria.

There was a considerable amount of hope in those two words. If you hadn't experienced the intense longing that he had, you wouldn't understand. It was as simple as that.

The young man walked away with a new-found happiness in his heart, desperately awaiting the day that she would finally say yes.

That day came sooner that he had ever imagined. The following Saturday, and owl appeared with three simple letters: yes. The flourishing cursive, the distinct smell of jasmine, and the purple stationary all confirmed what his heart was saying. It was his girl. Finally, after years of rejection, there was victory.

Victory in staying- in waiting it out- even when everyone told him to leave. They told him to go home, try another girl, and repair his broken heart. But this young man wouldn't take no for an answer. There was no glory in defeat- nothing worth-while ever came from it.

And now, _now_ he was repaid in full. The girl of his dreams was approaching him, looking as gorgeous as ever. And that was just what he wanted. Nothing more, nothing less. It was here, now, where his dreams were coming true.

As she descended the staircase, she had doubts in her mind. Major doubts- the type that will pack up your things, drive you home, and send you under the covers before you even have time to process what's going on. She thought of the boy he'd been- the snobby, mean, arrogant boy. In many ways, he had changed dramatically- always for the better- but the voice in her head was warning her to be cautious. The boy she was about to dance with- had he actually changed? She wasn't so sure now.

Her heart, however, pleaded with her to keep going, forget the boy that she'd known, and to look at the man he'd become.

She listened to her heart.

**Can you guess which couple I'm talking about? There are many that I had in mind, but one particular one. If you would be so kind as to leave it in a review (clever 'get reviews' trick), then you can pick the next couple that I write my drabble about! Thanks!**

**~Wise girl**


	10. Love Letters

_Dearest Rose,_

_ How could I ever- even in a million years-express how great my love is for you? Even if the sun stops shining, all of the flowers wilt, and the earth stops-_

Remus crumpled up the paper and threw it into the steadily growing pile.

"Tough luck, mate," James said sympathetically, eying the pile.

Peter nodded fervently, and Sirius offered his sympathies from the corner.

"It's hard, mate. It really is."

None of this, however, did anything to ease the pain- the hurt- which was coursing through his body. Nothing anyone could ever say would help him forget what he'd done.

"I just want to get her back. I really do." he said, standing up abruptly. "I'm going to get some fresh air."

"Just don't get all sentimental," Sirius grumbled from the corner

Remus calmly ignored him, and resolutely marched out of the door.

"Now you've done it," James whispered.

Remus, however, wasn't mad. At them. He was mad- actually, beyond mad- at himself. He'd caused her pain, and it was coming back to haunt him. A self-contemplative wave of thought rushed over him. Why, oh why, couldn't he have tamed his normally calm temper? Why, after many months of longing, did he abandon the best thing- other than the Marauders- that had ever happened to him? Why did he leave her, break up, snap the relationship, and walk away, as if it was nothing? Werewolf boy was here, in real life, haunting his emotions.

By this time, he was outside, in the courtyard, and in a very foul mood. But in spite of all of this, there she was, as beautiful as ever, sitting under the tree in which they had first met.

"Remus!" She called.

She wasn't mad. She wasn't even sad. She had moved on. In spite of good intentions, Remus admired this. She wasn't afraid keep going with life, and not wallow in self pity. And when he reached her, there was even _sympathy_ in her eyes.

"I'm… I'm sorry," he said, completely broken.

His eyes, his voice-the very fragment of his being suddenly turned ice cold. It was guilty and resentful. She reached out to comfort him but he turned away. Her warm hand caught his, but he slipped away, once again.

And then he ran. As fast as his legs could carry him, for he'd had a startling epiphany. Maybe a small one, compared to some. All the same, it broke his heart in ways that one cannot explain.

_You never know what you have until it's gone._

And that, that very simple statement, broke him. A little piece of his heart was gone, ripped to shreds. And then it simply vanished, refusing to cause him hurt any longer.


	11. Breath of Fresh Air

**Sorry it's been such a long time from update to update. I just have so many commitments- it's crazy! Exams are also coming soon, meaning that updates will be even more random. Sorry. :( **

James sighed. In reality, tears wanted flow- to escape his eyes- and roll down his cheeks. But that's not what he did. That was no way for a Gryffindor, a captain, a _Head Boy_ to act. He had to stand tall, face the disappointment, and try again. There was no way around it.

After giving the cliché: 'It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game,' speech, James wanted nothing more than to just go change and lie down. Maybe even take a fly around the Quidditch Pitch. As he walked back to the Dormitories, the game flashed through his mind. The pass that he'd dropped, all of the goals that his team had let in- everything haunted him.

It wasn't that he was a sore loser- no, he was far from that. He simply loved the game, and did everything in his power to respect it and to win. Through the years, he'd even grown more modest, making him a better winner as well. All in all, he was a much respected captain, although this loss could change that.

The Gryffindor team had lost to Slytherin, their biggest rivals, that day. This was always a sore loss, but it had also changed something very important. The Gryffindors were no longer undefeated- that record had drifted away, just as Black had caught the snitch. It was kind of ironic, though, how such a quick moment had changed everything.

James pulled on some clean robes and grabbed his broom, forgetting to lie down altogether. He needed to do some serious thinking and for him, at least, being in the air always helped.

Maybe, he thought, that they hadn't won all of their other games because of skill. Maybe it was because losing wasn't an option. They couldn't have lost- it just wasn't even possible. Now, he reasoned, that had changed too. Now failure _is_ an option- one more thing that we have to over come.

James took a deep breath of fresh air and shot into the distance. It doesn't matter, he gathered. They would still win. They'd just have to work hard and bring their absolute best to every game.

And that's just what they did.

**I would also like to say thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed in the past chapters. They mean a lot and encourage me to keep writing. Reviews=quicker updates… see a trend? :)**

**Also a HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to **_**I C A Big World**_** who has reviewed every single chapter, and it a good friend. Thank you!**

**Wise girl**


	12. This Whole Bleeding Year

**Sorry, guys, that this chapter took SO long. Yeah, I've just been busy. :( Sorry…**

"Lily, please listen. I'm begging you," James cried.

Really, he was desperate. He grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"James, _no._ I don't want anything to do with you. You're a good guy, but I don't want to be with you." Lilly turned back, tears filling her eyes.

James sighed. "Why? Give me a reason why."

Lily face fell even more. "Please, just let me go."

"No. Just tell me. I can take it," James said, his face hardening just a bit more.

"Okay," Lily whispered. She sank against the corridor wall, with her head in her hands. James sat next to her.

"I'm scared," she whispered. "Everyone I know has hurt me, except for my parents and closest friends. All of my past boyfriends have cheated on me; my sister hates me and has long since decided that I'm not a part of the family. Most, if not all of the Slytherins make fun of me and try to _harm _me because I'm a muggle-born, and Sev," her voice broke. "That was _me._ I ended the friendship with him. We could still be friends…" She trailed off, with tears streaming down her cheeks.

James sighed and rubbed her back, unsure of what to do.

"Lil', I'm not like that. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to be around you. You… you're just amazing. I- I'm not really worthy to be with you, but a bloke can dream, can't he? I just, I just want to be the one to hold the door open for you, to sit with you and make you laugh, and to comfort you when you're sad-"

"James, what are you saying? Just spit it out. Please," she added, a little less snippy.

"I'm saying I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you this whole bleeding year. Actually, since I first laid eyes on you," he said, with just a little bit of anger seeping into his voice.

"Please, no. No, no, I can't handle this," Lily said.

"And why not?"

"James, can we just be friends? Please? I don't think I could stand liking you."

"What was that last part?" James asked, thinking it was too good to be true.

"Err… nothing," Lily said, coloring.

James smirked, then smiled, amazed at his luck.

"Okay. I can work with that. We can be friends. Friends are good. Friends are a big step. I can deal with friends. Being friends is good. I can stand to wait a _little_ longer-"

Lily kicked him, to stop him from blathering, and mustered a smile.

"I'll see what I can do," she replied, with a hint of happiness upon her face.

**Please tell me what you think of this chapter. Reviews inspire writing! Thanks!**

**~Wise girl**


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